When
Honoré and Emily investigate the scarred bones of a
young woman in the ruins of a collapsed house, they are thrown
into a thrilling adventure that takes them from London in
1951 to Venice in 1586 and then forward a thousand years to
the terrifying, devastated London of 2586, which is ruled
over by the sinister Sodality. What is the terrible truth
about Emilys forgotten past? What demonic power is the
Sodality plotting to reawaken? And who is the mysterious Dr
Smith...?

The
strange box-like object with a flashing blue light on top,
shown on the front cover, might give you some idea as to the
identity of the so-called Dr Smith. Honoré and Emily
were, of course, introduced to readers in the Doctor Who
novella The
Cabinet of Light, so it is entirely appropriate
that the Time Hunter series should come full circle
as it reaches its conclusion and reveals Emilys origins.

There
are also brief allusions to ancient creatures rising
out of the oceans to reclaim their ancestral homeland,
which could refer to the Sea Devils, and humans turning
themselves into armies of murderous machines, which
seems to imply the Cybermen. However, the most explicit Who
connection is the presence of deadly stone gargoyles and a
devil-like Daemon, both elements from the Jon Pertwee serial
The Daemons and Reeltime Pictures sequel to it,
Daemos Rising.

Child
of Time ties together elements from across the entire
Time Hunter range, with particular reference to Daemos
Rising, The Cabinet of Light, Peculiar
Lives and The
Severed Man.
One particular plot revelation also hints at a possible connection
between the mechanical and semi-mechanical beings encountered
in other novellas, including The
Clockwork Woman
and The
Albinos Dancer.

With
a lot of incident and explanation to pack into this final
volume, it comes as little surprise that this is the longest
Time Hunter book to date. At more than 140 pages -
twice the length of the shortest entry, The
Sideways Door
- its really a novel rather than a novella, which may
explain the price increase for the paperback edition.

Emphasising
the impression of this being two novellas in one,
Honoré and Emily visit not one but two distinct temporal
locations, London in 2586 and Venice a thousand years earlier.
Then its back to 2586 again. The plot therefore becomes
somewhat episodic and run-around. However, it builds towards
a gripping and satisfying conclusion - to both the book and
the series.

Richard
McGinlay

Buy
this item onlineWe
compare prices online so you get the cheapest
deal! Click on the logo of the desired store
below to purchase this item.